On Friday, three individuals were shot outside of a hookah lounge located on the border of West Town and Wicker Park. This marks the second shooting incident at the venue in 18 months. Following the incident, the city has taken action and forced the troubled establishment to close its doors.
As I walked by Lyon’s Den at 2123 West Division on a Sunday afternoon, I noticed that the front door and a window were both covered with plywood. It was clear that they had been shot out. The board-up and the one remaining intact window had bright orange “summary closure” notices pasted on them, indicating that the establishment had been closed down.
Alderman Daniel La Spata (1st) expressed his solidarity with the community’s outrage over the shooting incident on Friday afternoon. He promptly called for the business’s summary closure, stating that he took action right away.
La Spata expressed his deep concern over the recent events, especially given the violence that occurred at the same business earlier in 2023. He also highlighted the community’s year-long effort to modify their Plan of Operations, which makes the situation even more distressing. La Spata shared his thoughts on Twitter.
At 1:27 a.m. on Friday, a group of people standing on the sidewalk outside the lounge were fired upon by a gunman in a black sedan, according to police reports. However, a witness who spoke with CWBChicago stated that they saw another shooter firing from a nearby corner. The witness believed that it was an “ambush-style shooting” based on what they saw. Authorities have since confirmed that the shooting followed a fight that occurred inside Lyon’s Den.
After the shooting incident, investigators found over 20 shell casings scattered across three different locations on the block. Fortunately, three men who were shot during the incident, aged 23, 32, and 45, were reported to be in good condition.
On the morning of January 1, 2023, a gunfight erupted near the entrance of the Lyon’s Den, resulting in the tragic death of one of the club’s security officers. Additionally, another individual sustained injuries during the altercation.
Around 1:30 a.m., a man attempted to enter Lyon’s Den while wielding a handgun, shortly after the shooting incident. This led to an exchange of gunfire with the victims, resulting in the death of Austin McAllister, a 38-year-old bouncer who was also a father of six and a military veteran. Another victim, a 26-year-old man, sustained a gunshot wound on his left calf but survived the incident. The family members of McAllister mourned his loss and remembered him as a devoted father and a brave military veteran.
After being injured in Iraq, my brother returned home to Chicago only to be shot and killed for simply turning a patron away from a hookah lounge. He wasn’t out there partying or drinking, he was working hard to support his children and himself. It’s heartbreaking. As my sister stated to ABC7 after the shooting, “He got hurt in Iraq to come home to Chicago and be killed because he turned a patron away from the hookah lounge? He wasn’t out there partying. He wasn’t drinking. He was out there working for his kids and for himself.”
In the aftermath of the 2023 shooting, Alderman Brian Hopkins (2nd) urged the city to close down Lyon’s Den. However, then-Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown chose not to take any action. Subsequently, the club reached an agreement in March 2023 to improve security measures and restrict BYOB alcohol consumption.
About two months following the incident, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) disclosed that they were in search of a 31-year-old parolee named Jimmy Chamberlain in relation to the shooting. Chamberlain had been on parole for three years, having served half of a 21-year sentence for committing an armed home invasion.
Last summer, Chamberlain was apprehended by the authorities and is currently in jail, awaiting trial for 12 felony charges, which include eight counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder.
